Fatty Amine Alkoxylates as Effective Adjuvants for Strobilurin Fungicide Applications on Field and Orchard Crops

Agrochemical adjuvants are widely used to improve the efficacy of pesticide applications. Improvement can be interpreted as “better weed control,” “better disease control,” or “reducing the amount of active ingredient required” for control. Claims related to the adjuvant function vary from “wetter,” “spreader, and “sticker” to “penetrant” and “synergist.” While most activator adjuvants are applied as ‘tank mix’ additives, the fatty amine alkoxylates are also suitable as formulation-adjuvants for in-can product developments.

During the past decade, Akzo Nobel Surface Chemistry has synthesized complex alkoxylates of selected fatty amines for application with relatively hydrophobic pesticides and directed their evaluation as adjuvants for application enhancement of many pesticides in trials conducted around the world. Among those adjuvant trials were applications with systemic and contact fungicides.

The application of fatty amine alkoxylates as efficacy-enhancing tank mix adjuvants for triazole fungicides was previously presented [1]. However, there are very little data published regarding the use of this class of surfactants as activator adjuvants with the newer strobilurin fungicides.

This paper presents an introduction to a new appllication for fatty amine alkoxylates as efficacy enhancers for strobilurin fungicides. Results are presented from field applications in 2004 as conducted with several strobilurin fungicides in multiple crop types.